Drama Club blazed trail for gay community

Gay Houma moves to Main Street

Published: Saturday, February 15, 2014 at 10:26 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, February 15, 2014 at 10:26 p.m.

When the Drama Club opened 10 years ago it broke hard ground as the first gay club to advertise publically and display the rainbow flag on a Houma Street. On Saturday night the club opened its doors for the final time, leaving a world much different than the one it entered in 2003.

For the thousands who visited the bar, squeezing between its colorful walls to dance away balmy Cajun nights, the closing is a bittersweet milestone in the acceptance of gay culture into the mainstream of the Cajun city.

Now there is a new bar in town, on Main Street, just over a mile away from the seat of parish government.

Club owner Randy Chestnut, who also celebrated his 70th birthday Saturday, opened the club on a whim after he found out the only gay bar at that time, Kicks, was planning to close.

It was the seventh bar that Chestnut owned and managed in his career, and it would become his crown jewel.

“My goal was to have a place where the gay community could enjoy themselves,” Chestnut said. “This was my favorite bar out of all the ones I have owned. It was my crown jewel and now it's my swan song.”

Chestnut said he was overwhelmed with emotion as he prepared to move to Lafayette to be with his children.

"There are a lot of sad people tonight," Chestnut said. "This was the first place a lot of people came out to. Drama Club loves Houma, we wish everybody the best in the world."

The decision to close was a long time coming, Chestnut said. The club had been losing money since the BP oil spill shocked the local economy.

Chestnut said the opening of Main Street Lounge did not influence his decision to close. But many say it would not have been possible for a gay bar to open on Main Street if it weren't for Chestnut's bar.

“Drama Club paved the way for this club to open,” said 37-year-old Todd Carvell, who sat at a packed bar inside Main Street Lounge Friday night. “Ten years ago I would've never imagined coming to Houma and going to a gay bar on Main Street.”

Breaking new ground

The Drama Club, with its neon sign and loudmouth message board, was a departure from the clandestine locations that preceded it.

“South Louisiana has been accepting of gay bars for some time, but in the past they were always off to the side, across the railroad tracks or wherever. You had to know the address just to find the place,” Drama Club Bar Manager Ronnie Williams said.

The club was the first to attract a significant number of straight customers, who would often stop by just to experience the novelty of being in a gay bar or to take in one of its drag shows. The clubs slogan invited customers to "bring yo mama and yo drama."

The club's 10 years in business made it an institution and an icon. Only one gay bar, Kicks, had managed to stay open for longer. It closed after Drama Club opened following 11 years in business starting in the early 1990s.

Keeping the club open was not always easy. Shortly after the club opened, a dispute between two customers led to a raid by armed Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents.

"We came very close to closing," Chestnut said. "I heard from authorites that they intended to close the club down, because the powers at be did not want us here. I was not going to have that, we have a right to do businesses just like anyone else."

The club eventually made a peaceful arrangement with local law enforcement, but during the raid patrons were confronted with automatic weapons and made to stand outside the club, in full view of cars passing by on North Hollywood Road, eroding the sense of security and privacy that many customers depend on.

“After the raid, there was almost nobody in the bar,” Chestnut said. “But we persevered. Little by little people starting coming back.”

On Christmas Eve 2009, the Drama Club was again thrown into the spotlight when the bar's manager, Robert LeCompte, was murdered.

A former bartender, Jorell Young, was convicted of the murder and is serving a life prison sentence.

There was no denying at either bar that, without the Drama Club's struggle to bring gay culture out of the closet, it would be impossible to open Main Street Lounge.

“I think Drama Club did a very good job bringing Houma into the 21st century,” Chestnut said. “We brought the whole community forward.”

'A whole new world'

Gay bars were once social lifelines in small towns, but the Internet has augmented options for gay people growing up away from big cities.

“When I was growing up, you had to go out to a gay bar to meet people,” Williams said. “Now, I meet gay people everywhere I go, in line at Wal-Mart, on the street, who I have never seen in this bar before.”

Mixing of gay and straight crowds has also become more common, and new bars are competing by offering flashy lights and an increasingly upscale atmosphere.

Less than a half a mile away from the Drama Club, the Main Street Lounge has enjoyed growing crowds on an almost weekly basis.

Main Street Lounge opened on Halloween night. It is financed by Ray Cheramie, who had previously owned Back Tracks, a gay-only club that closed in the mid-1990s.

The interior of the new lounge is bold and bright. Modern artwork adorns the walls, and laser lights pulsate over a small dance floor.

While the Drama Club was known for welcoming straight patrons, heterosexuals make up a significant portion of the customer base at Main Street.

“On any given night, 40 or 50 percent of our customers are straight,” Cheramie said. “We are a gay bar, definitely, but we don't want to restrict our image by labeling ourselves.”

Main Street Lounge features the drag queen parties that the Drama Club was famous for, but Cheramie also has plans to feature karaoke and pool nights as well. He also plans to host Monday Night Football specials in the fall.

Much like the Drama Club, the decision to open Main Street came without much planning.. Cheramie had been living in New Orleans when a friend suggested he open a bar in Houma. He was driving down Main Street when he saw the “for sale” sign, called the number and inquired.

Less than three months later, the lounge was retrofitted with speakers, lights, fresh furniture and bathrooms.

The flashy, clean-cut interior is designed to appeal to a broader crowd, Cheramie said.

“Main Street Lounge is a much different place than Drama Club,” Chestnut said. “It is a much smaller lounge. Drama Club is a big, huge club. It requires a ton of overhead.”

At Drama Club, dancers and drag queens perform on a wide stage backed by velvet curtains and high-top tables, disco balls turn and the DJ stood in an enclosed booth overhead.

At Main Street Lounge, there are leather chairs and lounge tables. The DJ is in the middle of the dance floor, and LED lights cast a futuristic glow both inside and outside the building.

Last week, Cheramie opened a reconstructed patio behind the bar. It faces Bayou Terrebonne, and he plans to install water fountains below.

After the drag show ended on Friday night, straight couples, gay couples, white, black and Native American customers took to the dance floor.

Several black girls joined a clan of gay men in a twerk-off in one corner, gyrating their butts to New Orleans bounce rapper DJ Jubilee. Meanwhile, a middle aged man courted a professional-looking woman wearing sequins and high heels.

“It's always a party in here,” Carvell said. “Ray always does things to keep the place fresh. He worked in New Orleans and hired bartenders who worked on Bourbon Street. There's always new people coming in and out. Even people from New Orleans will come down here to party in Houma.”

Cheramie himself joined the revelry Friday, bouncing behind the bar while throwing rose petals, used to decorate for Valentine's Day, which fell on customers like confetti.

“The Drama Club is what gay bars used to be,” Carvell said. “You come to Main Street, and it's a whole new world.”

<p>When the Drama Club opened 10 years ago it broke hard ground as the first gay club to advertise publically and display the rainbow flag on a Houma Street. On Saturday night the club opened its doors for the final time, leaving a world much different than the one it entered in 2003. </p><p>For the thousands who visited the bar, squeezing between its colorful walls to dance away balmy Cajun nights, the closing is a bittersweet milestone in the acceptance of gay culture into the mainstream of the Cajun city. </p><p>Now there is a new bar in town, on Main Street, just over a mile away from the seat of parish government. </p><p>Club owner Randy Chestnut, who also celebrated his 70th birthday Saturday, opened the club on a whim after he found out the only gay bar at that time, Kicks, was planning to close. </p><p>It was the seventh bar that Chestnut owned and managed in his career, and it would become his crown jewel.</p><p>“My goal was to have a place where the gay community could enjoy themselves,” Chestnut said. “This was my favorite bar out of all the ones I have owned. It was my crown jewel and now it's my swan song.”</p><p>Chestnut said he was overwhelmed with emotion as he prepared to move to Lafayette to be with his children. </p><p>"There are a lot of sad people tonight," Chestnut said. "This was the first place a lot of people came out to. Drama Club loves Houma, we wish everybody the best in the world." </p><p>The decision to close was a long time coming, Chestnut said. The club had been losing money since the BP oil spill shocked the local economy.</p><p>Chestnut said the opening of Main Street Lounge did not influence his decision to close. But many say it would not have been possible for a gay bar to open on Main Street if it weren't for Chestnut's bar. </p><p>“Drama Club paved the way for this club to open,” said 37-year-old Todd Carvell, who sat at a packed bar inside Main Street Lounge Friday night. “Ten years ago I would've never imagined coming to Houma and going to a gay bar on Main Street.”</p><h3>Breaking new ground</h3>
<p>The Drama Club, with its neon sign and loudmouth message board, was a departure from the clandestine locations that preceded it.</p><p>“South Louisiana has been accepting of gay bars for some time, but in the past they were always off to the side, across the railroad tracks or wherever. You had to know the address just to find the place,” Drama Club Bar Manager Ronnie Williams said. </p><p>The club was the first to attract a significant number of straight customers, who would often stop by just to experience the novelty of being in a gay bar or to take in one of its drag shows. The clubs slogan invited customers to "bring yo mama and yo drama."</p><p>The club's 10 years in business made it an institution and an icon. Only one gay bar, Kicks, had managed to stay open for longer. It closed after Drama Club opened following 11 years in business starting in the early 1990s. </p><p>Keeping the club open was not always easy. Shortly after the club opened, a dispute between two customers led to a raid by armed Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents. </p><p>"We came very close to closing," Chestnut said. "I heard from authorites that they intended to close the club down, because the powers at be did not want us here. I was not going to have that, we have a right to do businesses just like anyone else."</p><p>The club eventually made a peaceful arrangement with local law enforcement, but during the raid patrons were confronted with automatic weapons and made to stand outside the club, in full view of cars passing by on North Hollywood Road, eroding the sense of security and privacy that many customers depend on. </p><p>“After the raid, there was almost nobody in the bar,” Chestnut said. “But we persevered. Little by little people starting coming back.”</p><p>On Christmas Eve 2009, the Drama Club was again thrown into the spotlight when the bar's manager, Robert LeCompte, was murdered. </p><p>A former bartender, Jorell Young, was convicted of the murder and is serving a life prison sentence.</p><p>There was no denying at either bar that, without the Drama Club's struggle to bring gay culture out of the closet, it would be impossible to open Main Street Lounge.</p><p>“I think Drama Club did a very good job bringing Houma into the 21st century,” Chestnut said. “We brought the whole community forward.”</p><h3>'A whole new world'</h3>
<p>Gay bars were once social lifelines in small towns, but the Internet has augmented options for gay people growing up away from big cities. </p><p>“When I was growing up, you had to go out to a gay bar to meet people,” Williams said. “Now, I meet gay people everywhere I go, in line at Wal-Mart, on the street, who I have never seen in this bar before.”</p><p>Mixing of gay and straight crowds has also become more common, and new bars are competing by offering flashy lights and an increasingly upscale atmosphere.</p><p>Less than a half a mile away from the Drama Club, the Main Street Lounge has enjoyed growing crowds on an almost weekly basis.</p><p>Main Street Lounge opened on Halloween night. It is financed by Ray Cheramie, who had previously owned Back Tracks, a gay-only club that closed in the mid-1990s. </p><p>The interior of the new lounge is bold and bright. Modern artwork adorns the walls, and laser lights pulsate over a small dance floor. </p><p>While the Drama Club was known for welcoming straight patrons, heterosexuals make up a significant portion of the customer base at Main Street.</p><p>“On any given night, 40 or 50 percent of our customers are straight,” Cheramie said. “We are a gay bar, definitely, but we don't want to restrict our image by labeling ourselves.”</p><p>Main Street Lounge features the drag queen parties that the Drama Club was famous for, but Cheramie also has plans to feature karaoke and pool nights as well. He also plans to host Monday Night Football specials in the fall. </p><p>Much like the Drama Club, the decision to open Main Street came without much planning.. Cheramie had been living in New Orleans when a friend suggested he open a bar in Houma. He was driving down Main Street when he saw the “for sale” sign, called the number and inquired. </p><p>Less than three months later, the lounge was retrofitted with speakers, lights, fresh furniture and bathrooms.</p><p>The flashy, clean-cut interior is designed to appeal to a broader crowd, Cheramie said. </p><p>“Main Street Lounge is a much different place than Drama Club,” Chestnut said. “It is a much smaller lounge. Drama Club is a big, huge club. It requires a ton of overhead.” </p><p>At Drama Club, dancers and drag queens perform on a wide stage backed by velvet curtains and high-top tables, disco balls turn and the DJ stood in an enclosed booth overhead. </p><p>At Main Street Lounge, there are leather chairs and lounge tables. The DJ is in the middle of the dance floor, and LED lights cast a futuristic glow both inside and outside the building. </p><p>Last week, Cheramie opened a reconstructed patio behind the bar. It faces Bayou Terrebonne, and he plans to install water fountains below. </p><p>After the drag show ended on Friday night, straight couples, gay couples, white, black and Native American customers took to the dance floor. </p><p>DJ Clarence Denenea blasted a mix of Deep South hip hop, top 40s hits and electronic dance music.</p><p>Several black girls joined a clan of gay men in a twerk-off in one corner, gyrating their butts to New Orleans bounce rapper DJ Jubilee. Meanwhile, a middle aged man courted a professional-looking woman wearing sequins and high heels. </p><p>“It's always a party in here,” Carvell said. “Ray always does things to keep the place fresh. He worked in New Orleans and hired bartenders who worked on Bourbon Street. There's always new people coming in and out. Even people from New Orleans will come down here to party in Houma.” </p><p>Cheramie himself joined the revelry Friday, bouncing behind the bar while throwing rose petals, used to decorate for Valentine's Day, which fell on customers like confetti.</p><p>“The Drama Club is what gay bars used to be,” Carvell said. “You come to Main Street, and it's a whole new world.”</p>